Step 2.7: Resilience (Don’t Have a Plan B)
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
- Thomas Edison
Change isn't hard. It's fucking terrifying. That's why 99% of people would rather marinate in mediocrity than face it.
Talent alone isn’t enough. Getting where you want to go requires resilience.
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.”
- Erica Jong
Resilience is the ability to deal with whatever comes your way. Having the mindset to be ready for it.
Resilience isn't only about bouncing back. It's the ability to taking punches and ask for more - because you were ready to take the punches. In the words of Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and co-founder of Twitter, “Expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, BE the unexpected.”
Ed Sheeran dropped truth bombs about this during a recent interview with Howard Stern talking about how difficult it is for musicians to make it in today’s digitally-driven music industry. He said, “The only people I know that didn’t make it were the ones who had a Plan B.”
Why? Because when shit got real, they had an escape hatch. They could avoid the rough days.
Ed’s mindset and mantra? Embrace failure and persist against hurdles. “No Plan B.”
Jackson Wetherbee - leader of one of my favorite bands, The Elovaters, said something similar - “You can’t really have a Plan B if you want to make it.”
Here's the thing about having a Plan B: It's comfort food for your career. Feels good now, kills your dreams later.
This isn't just music industry wisdom. Tesla almost died three times. Amazon lost money for two decades. The difference between them and their dead competitors? No Plan B. They couldn’t turn back.
Want to win? Burn the boats. Have the courage to take the road less traveled. Follow the belief that boldness changes everything.
When there's no way back, the only direction is forward.
Your Playbook:
Do you have a Plan B? Or are you all in on the path you have chosen?
What is the Plan B you need to forget about?
Does change scare you?
What are the changes - big and small - that you worry about?
How can you be more resilient?